Talk:War Storm/@comment-2600:1700:7710:30C0:8CA2:FC4A:AC64:6A04-20180616040818
This book was the absolute worst out of the entire series. The ending was unsatisfying, *the* major death was so poorly written, and, in the end, it was just disappointing. We've been waiting for a compelling, groundbreaking conclusion to an incredible series, and THIS is what we receive? Here's what, to me, made this so terrible: 1. MAVEN'S STORY ARC I'm not going to lie, I favored Maven over Cal throughout the series. Personally, I wanted him to be redeemed, fixed, or, if he had to remain evil, be exiled or become some sort of outcast. (It would have been pretty cool if he fled to Montfort and became one of the Silver raiders). If he had to die, it should have been at the hands of Cal, or protecting Mare/Cal. Heck, if Mare had to be the one to kill him, it could have been written better; it seemed so rushed and felt like no thought was put into it. His POV was interesting, but I wanted more interactions with him and other characters. In regards to his last scene, it should have been Cal who he fought with. We know Mare despises him for all the torture he's put her through, but she's already killed his mother and pretty much caused his downfall. His main goal was the THRONE, his main opponent was Cal. They were brothers, he betrayed him, this could have been a thing where the rivalry runs deeper than Mare, deeper than the throne. All in all, it was pretty upsetting to see a villain with so much potential go to waste. 2. MARE In the other books, Mare seemed fine, she wasn't particularly irritating. In War Storm, though, she drove me INSANE. There was hardly any focus on her part politically and with the Scarlet Guard; instead it was all directed towards Cal and the betrayal in Kings Cage and how she loved him soooo much��. Everything in her POV seemed like this: ��Cal�� I love you so much, but I can't let you know�������� *fails miserably* "conflicting" emotions that are painfully predictable*. Occasionally she would bring up Shade, or Evangeline, but other than that, it was just her trying to not pine over Cal. 3. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Kilorn, Cameron, Farley, and almost every other supporting character that didn't have a POV were hardly included. (Farley played a more important role, but she should have been in more than she was). Kilorn, Cameron, Sara, and Elane were especially excluded, receiving only a few sentences/pages/mentions. They're hardly important to the storyline, and don't do much where they are present. This is especially annoying because, like Maven, they had so much potential and could have brought so much to this book. 4. EVANGELINE'S LAST CHAPTER Personally, Evangeline's POV was a highlight in War Storm. It showed her story, was important to the overall plot, and was just really well written. However, I didn't like how her last chapter ended so quickly and she was mentioned only a few times afterwards. This isn't a major complaint of mine, I just liked her as a character as she made the mess that this book is tolerable. And, finally, 5. THE ENDING The ending isn't bad per se, but it leaves so many loose ends and lots of uncertainty. I know Aveyard was trying to go for something where it's more open, free to the reader to decide/theorize, but this is the CONCLUSION of an ENTIRE SERIES. Yes, she's writing mini stories about the events after, but they're not going to be a complete book, and the best way to tie this series up isn't to have the mini stories be the vault full of answers. War Storm had so much going for it, with the entire fandom waiting in anticipation to see how this would conclude. All in all, it was a major disappointment that could have been done wonderfully, had it not been so predictable and rushed.